


Nurturing an Abused Inner Child in 4 Easy Steps

by Bride_Of_The_Wild_Huntsman



Series: Firehouse Feelings [1]
Category: The Real Ghostbusters
Genre: Family, Fluff, Gen, the team is very good at being older siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-10
Updated: 2017-02-10
Packaged: 2018-09-23 05:16:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9642206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bride_Of_The_Wild_Huntsman/pseuds/Bride_Of_The_Wild_Huntsman
Summary: The guys and Janine are a little worried about how down Peter's been lately. So, they all work together to cheer him up.





	

**Author's Note:**

> All sections after the first three take place on a different day over the span of a month.
> 
> I was trying to convince myself that I can still write gen fics so that's how this came about. 
> 
> This was spawned from noticing just how depressed/lethargic Peter always seems and the conversations with my mother about how happy it makes her inner child when I buy her stuffed animals. So, here we go, a little fluffy gen fic.
> 
> Disclaimer: I only own what isn't canon or trademarked. Toys mentioned are either real or based on real toys.

Quiet settled over the converted firehouse. A secret meeting of all Ghostbusters staff was gathered in the main rec room while founding member Peter Venkman was away for the evening at a psychology lecture. Their absent member was the subject of discussion for the tiny four person (and one ghost) meeting. Talk of concern over their teammate's recent well being was the topic.

The date was drawing near to the brunet's birthday and the psychologist was showing more signs of depression with each passing day. His makeshift family were growing increasingly worried. They had a nice party planned for his birthday but they feared he would be too down to fully enjoy it. It was a yearly pattern they had all noticed despite the happy mask he would wear for them on his special day. They had formed this meeting to discuss the cause for his dark moods and how to fix it.

Before the meeting, Egon had gone over everything he knew about his best friend. He used what knowledge of psychology he had to conceive an answer to their quest. The results he stumbled upon saddened him. Once the team assembled in the rec room, he informed them that their companion's sadness stemmed from a neglected and emotionally abused inner child. Said inner child had been locked away in order for Peter to mature and care for his lonely mother when he was young. He had never been allowed a properly happy childhood nor had he had positive things to occupy his sorrowful thoughts like Ray and Egon had to deal with their own painful childhoods. His inner peace and sense of happiness was stunted and was now coming out as immaturity and depression. The only solution to that problem, nurture his inner child.

By spoiling it rotten!

_**Step 1:** _ _Give them lots of soft things to cuddle._

~*~Peter groaned softly as he trudged up the stairs of the firehall to the bunkroom. He was exhausted from the lecture and he had to wake up in like three hours for an early emergency bust. He would have liked a shower before bed but was just too tired. He grunted as he began to dress down to his undershirt and boxers on the way to his bed, pieces of his discarded suit leaving a trail between his friends' beds. He kept silent to let his friends sleep as he flopped down into his own mussed up bedding. He huffed softly and rolled onto his side, surprise filling him as he came face to face with the smile of a stuffed pony.

He blinked rapidly as he hesitantly picked her up. He flushed bright in the dark, he would know the little yellow pony anywhere even without seeing her cutiemark. Her name was Masquerade, his favorite. He had mentioned it to Winston one embarrassing night while drunk on some super sugary experimental soda of Ray and Egon's that he enjoyed watching My Little Pony and that the twinkle-eye pony with the painful past was his favorite because they were so alike. The confession had devastated him when he remembered the next morning but Winston was a great guy and never teased him about it.

Peter swallowed thickly and hesitantly looked at the little card tied to her green hair. He blinked rapidly as it read 'To pete' written in Winston's strong handwriting. He could not fight the smile anymore as he hugged Masquerade close and curled up under the covers with her. Something sparked in his heart as he drifted into slumber.

  
~*~Peter groaned softly the next morning as he suffered into wakefulness. He did not hear the alarm but could make out the guys calling to him from another room to wake up. He blinked blearily and unwound his arm from around Masque to stretch. His eyes widened as he yawned.

He was shocked to find breakfast sitting on a bench before his bed. There was an adorable stuffed grimm reaper sitting next to his plate of toast. The tiny death spirit had a sweet smile and a sugar-skull styled heart on its forehead. There was a note in its little scythe-wielding hands that read 'Eat up, Petey!' in Ray's messy scrawl.

Another spark clicked in his heart as he scooped up the little reaper. He unconsciously hugged the plush close to his chest as he wolfed down the toast and glass of orange juice. he rushed from his bed to get dressed for the early bust, leaving his little reaper next to his Little Pony.

  
~*~The morning bust had indeed been an emergency. A crazed Class 6 with four Class 5s following its lead. The job had taken four hours to complete and was followed by six smaller busts. The entire team was exhausted and splattered in different colors of slime.

A tired groan escaped Peter as he dumped the day's catches in the containment unit. He huffed softly as he put the traps to the side and pushed his slime-soaked forelock out of his eyes. He stretched out his tight muscles as he heard Ray call from the top of the stairs that the shower was free. The words were like sweet music as he rushed up the stairs to grab his clothes before heading to the shower.

Garments clutched in hand, he blinked in surprise as he entered the bathroom. There was a white teddy bear stylized to resemble the ghost on their logo. It even had a jumpsuit and cloth proton pack. It was sitting next to his shampoo on the bathroom counter and was holding a card reading 'Enjoy your shower, Peter' in Egon's strict script. Peter could not help but grin and snatched up his shampoo, winking at the little ghost bear.

  
~*~Exhaustion settled into Peter's bones as he plopped down into the chair at his desk in his office. He was tired but bills did not pay themselves. They were actually doing pretty well with profits this month. The news was heaven sent because their energy bill was through the roof like usual.

He sighed and rubbed his tired eyes. He blinked slowly as he sluggishly reached to open the drawer he kept his checkbook in. He blinked slowly to see a fluffy plush raccoon holding a stuffed heart in its paws staring back at him. He smiled softly and scooped up the plush, spotting the tag reading' Chin up, Dr. V' hanging from its ear.

He chuckled softly and held the toy close to his heart. He pulled out the team's bills and got to work. He hummed softly as his pen glided along the paper. He shifted the raccoon closer and suddenly the stress weighing in on him did not seem so bad anymore. The calm in his heart as he worked did not even make him question why his friends had given him stuffed toys; he simply enjoyed the warmth they brought with them.

**_Step 2:_ ** _Provide them with comfort when the world becomes too much._

~*~A shiver ran through Peter's body as his fingers dug into his hair, nails pressing into his scalp. His knees were pulled up to his chest and his eyes were shut tightly. A tiny sob escaped him as the lost feeling became too much. He wanted desperately for the pain locked away deep inside to simply go away but it just sat there like a lump in his stomach. Hot tears dripped down his reddened cheeks as he gritted his teeth.

He was suddenly jostled out of his spiral by the weight of a gentle arm draping over his shoulders. His eyes snapped open and he stared in horror at a pajama-clad Winston sitting next to him in the darkness of the closet. He opened his mouth to say something but Winston only smiled sadly and shook his head. He gently wiped the younger man's tears away and silently slipped Masque into Peter's trembling lap. He touched the smaller brunet's hands to get him to stop hurting his scalp. He smiled a little brighter as Peter obeyed and instead clutched Masque to his chest.

Peter clung to his pony and sniffled as he was pulled into his friend's strong embrace. His shaking and tears eased as he settled against the older man. He pulled comfort from his companion as his tear-tired eyes fluttered closed. Slumber finally came to the young psychologist as he found protection in his friend's arms.

  
~*~Peter jumped slightly as heavy thunder clapped and startled him. He shuddered and swallowed thickly as he filled his mug with hot cocoa that Egon had made for the team. He held the warm mug in both of his shaking hands. His mind felt slightly frazzled, he did not know where to go to spend his time off.

A voice suddenly broke through the scattered thoughts. Ray was calling him from the rec room. He held his mug close and wandered over to his friend. The cheery red-head greeted him and patted the spot next to him on the couch.

"Hey, Pete! I just rented a new flick, want to watch it with me?" Peter simply nodded and took the offered seat. Ray smiled brighter and wrapped his blanket around them both. Thunder sounded again and Peter shivered, shutting his eyes. He suddenly felt Ray hug him close and start the movie. Peter cracked an eye open to see his friend smiling encouragingly while holding out the reaper plush to him. Peter's fear of thunder was no secret to either of his two oldest friends.

Peter flushed slightly and shakily took the toy. He hugged it close. He smiled weakly as Ray winked at him and turned the movie up louder. Peter slowly took a drink from his mug as he leaned into the comfort that his friend was offering. The thunder slipping from his thoughts as they began to laugh at the movie.

  
~*~Night settled over the city and its citizens slept relatively peacefully. All was calm in the converted firehouse save for one member of the team. Peter jerked in slumber under the force of the nightmares plaguing his mind. A moan and a whimper escaped him as he struggled against his sweat-soaked sheets.

A figure walked over to his bed and sat by the headboard. He lovingly petted Peter's hair before pulling the smaller man into his arms. The movement startled Peter awake, fear and confusion in his dazed green eyes as he looked up. All emotions were quickly washed away at the sight of his dearest friend holding him. They were replaced with a sense of safety as he settled against his friend.

Peter shifted so he was sitting astride Egon's lap and clung pitifully to him like a child. The two had long gotten over the awkwardness of the position years ago in college. There was no hiding, no masks, as he drew comfort from the blond. He gripped his friend's nightshirt tight and pressed his face to his friend's shoulder. The pat between the shoulder blades would have looked cold and awkward to one that did not know the scientist as well as Peter did.

The brunet settled slightly at the touch but was still shivering. A warm hand gently stroked back his sweat-slicked bangs. He leaned into the touch as the blanket, which had been shoved to the floor earlier, was wrapped about them. The ghost bear was pressed into his arms as he was held close. He yawned tiredly, hugging his bear and curling against his friend as slumber settled in once more. He ignored the thoughts of how child-like he was acting to focus on the peace of mind that settled in now that Egon was there to chase the bad dreams away.

  
~*~Pete's hands clenched into fists against the wood of his desk as he hid his face in his arms. He gritted his teeth at the feel of dried slime and blood that was not his prickle the skin of his fingers. Guilt made his stomach roll in anger and frustration. How could he have been so stupid on that bust?! They could have lost that bystander!

He snarled and gave a cry of anguish. His kicked out, his foot slamming into the back of his desk. He did not even feel the arm laying over his hunched ribs until slender fingers closed over one of his hands. He sniffled, looking up and to the side slightly.

Surprise filled him at the sight of Janine smiling sadly at him. He sniffled again and quickly hid his face in his arms again. He was ashamed for her to see him like this. Though, she did not seem bothered.

Janine leaned forward and kissed his hair as she hugged him close. Her other hand began to gently wash his with a small damp cloth. She hummed soothingly as she wiped away the residue on his hands.

"Shh... It's okay, Dr. V, everyone has accidents at work. It was nobody's fault." She whispered softly against his hair as she moved the washcloth aside. She lovingly stroked his back as her free hand had his plush raccoon gently nuzzle his hands. He seemed to notice what it was without looking and took hold of it. He hugged it close against his face as he still slumped over his desk but leaned into Janine's embrace, slowly relaxing.

**_Step 3:_ ** _Provide them with appropriate one on one time._

~*~Peter smiled brightly as he snatched a box of caramel popcorn snacks from Winston as they left the stadium. He was bouncing on his toes, feeling chipper from seeing his team win. He had not been to a game in quite a while. Busting had kept him too busy for such pleasures but this game totally made up for it.

He munched on a few pieces of the caramel-covered popcorn when the strangest urge came over him. His gaze drifted over to one of the vendors they passed and could not seem to keep his eyes off the cotton candy. He quickly shook his head and tried to focus on the snack in his hand.

"Pete, did you want some?" The psychologist blinked and looked over at his companion. His friend was smiling and motioning over at the candy, "My treat." Peter's eyes widened slightly. He felt like an idiot when the only reply he could give was a nod; he felt like such a child. Winston grinned at him and bound off to get the fluffy treat before Peter could stop him.

"Here ya go, Brother." The older man happily presented him the pink and blue candy a few minutes later. Peter could not help his growing smile as he took the gift. He tried and failed to stuff down the childish giggle that bubbled up as he began to eat. He flushed bright and gave a muffled 'thank you' around the fluff, feeling hopelessly embarrassed.

"So, great game, right?" Winston asked and stole some cotton, completely ignoring Peter's embarrassment.

  
~*~Peter groaned softly as he collapsed into the couch in the rec room. He was exhausted, he hated smoothing things over with the mayor. These meetings were always long and tiring, did not help he was always alone during them. Things always went better without the guys' oddness.

"Welcome back, Pete!" He sluggishly looked over to see Ray smiling at him from the door. The other man strode over and plopped down next to him. He smiled tiredly back at the red-head.

"Heya, Tex. Wha' ya up to?"

"Not much. I just came over to check on how the meeting went."

"Fair, I'd say." Peter winked tiredly at his friend, "We've officially dodged jail for the third time this month."

"Great job, Pete!"

"I thought so." He puffed up his chest in pride before relaxing again as he looked his friend over. He raised an eyebrow, "New comics today?"

"How'd you know?!"

"Doc Venkman always knows, Ray." Peter tried to grin cockily but failed slightly due to the tiredness in his expression. Ray chuckled softly, trying to ignore his worry at Peter's exhaustion.

"If'n you're not too busy, Petey, I got a few you might like. Want to give them a shot?" Something sparked in Peter at the hopeful tone in Ray's voice. He was not usually a comic person but somehow the thought of sitting back and losing himself in a (non life-threatening) fantasy world felt appealing.

"Yeah, sure, okay."

"Great!" He watched Ray bounce up to his feet and rush off to get the comics.

He blinked in surprise at the stack of comics dropped into his lap once Ray returned. He chuckled softly as his friend took his seat again and tapped a comic to show which Peter should read. The psychologist hummed softly and sat back with the suggested book.

Some days Peter felt so old for being so young. It was nice to be able to slack off sometimes after a stressful day. Being free to spend time with his friend doing something simple was actually very nice.

  
~*~Peter groaned softly as he lethargically turned the page of yet another complaint letter and possible lawsuit for one thing or another. He yawned, bored out of his mind as he started to go cross-eyed from the sea of words. His eye twitched as he slumped more against his office desk. It was getting to the point where he was wondering if he could die of boredom. Being a responsible adult sucked!

"Peter?"

"Huh?" The half sound tumbled out of his slack jaw as he barely acknowledged his oldest friend was talking to him. He absentmindedly chewed on the cap of his pen as he read another line. He started slightly as a hand slowly slid the letter away. He jerked his head up, pen falling out of his mouth as he stared up at his best friend.

"May I trouble you for approximately twenty minutes of your time?" Egon asked flatly as he fixed his glasses.

"Uhh... ...Sure, Spengs, what's up?" Peter's eyes widened when the blond placed a chess board atop the desk. He straightened up as Egon took a seat.

"We have not played together for some time and I am without current occupation while I wait for an experiment to finish." This struck Peter as odd, the physicist always had other experiments to work on while waiting for another to finish. Despite this, he slowly grinned and ignored the protest in the back of his head.

"Now, that sounds like a plan. Prepare to lose, Big Guy!"

"I look forward to it." Egon smiled vaguely as Peter happily began to set up the board. He pushed his glasses up his nose as Peter gave him a predatory smirk and claimed black.

"Peter, I believe your ambition is showing."

  
~*~Peter could not believe he was here of all places with her of all people. Doing this of all things with her. What was he thinking? And why was she being so sweet?

"Ready for more, Dr. V?" He felt socked toes gently jab him in the ear. He blinked rapidly and smiled sadly.

"Sure, Janine." He looked up and back at where she sat on the couch from his position on the floor. She blew her bangs out of her eyes as he raised the bowl in his hand. She smiled sadly back at him as she served some more ice cream into his dish and covered it in cookie crumbles.

"It's gonna be okay, Boss. She doesn't know what she let go of." She gently smiled a bit brighter and tenderly pushed his dark bangs out of his red-rimmed eyes, "You'll get a better girl soon and we can rub it in her face." She winked at him before placing a slice of pizza on his head. The act made a smile slowly replace Peter's frown. The two began to laugh as another link in their sibling-like bond formed.

"Oh! Oh! Look, good part's starting!" Janine chirped as she pointed at the movie they were watching.

"Turn it up, girl!"  
  


**_Step 4:_ ** _Provide happy memories worth having._

"Ray, seriously, can we do this a different time? I'm really tired and really sore. I just want a nap." Peter whined tiredly, limping as fast as he could to keep up with the pace Ray was pulling him down the hall at. It took all his patience not to yank his hand back or pull the blindfold off.

"Oh c'mon, Pete, just for an hour please. Then you can take a nap." Peter could only sigh, too tired to fight. Where were they going? There was no more busts today.

He heard his friend chuckle as they entered a room. Peter felt a little wary, not in the mood for a prank, but the feeling was ignored to focus on the pain in his leg. He was just about to ask what was going on when the blindfold was suddenly pulled off.

"Surprise!" He was shocked to be in the rec room with all his friends cheering, "Happy birthday, Peter!" A small fire sparked in a frozen piece of his heart as the cracking ice finally melted, his lip quivering slightly. His friends, including Janine, flocked around him and gave more birthday wishes. He felt a warm hand clasp his shoulder and looked up at a smiling Egon.

"There's someone special here to see you." His friends parted to show the surprise guest. Peter's face lit up at the sight of the elderly woman walking towards him.

"Mrs. F!" He squeaked happily as he limped over to meet her.

"Hello, Peter. Happy birthday." He clung gently to the frail woman when she hugged him, "Oh, you poor thing, you're hurt." Mrs. Faversham tenderly touched the bruise on his cheek as he beamed at her.

"It's nothing. I'm fine, really. I just fell through the floor while on a bust today." She gasped in horror but he simply kissed the motherly figure on the forehead to calm her.

"Oh my, you need to rest. Come sit down, dear." He obediently trailed after her as she led him to the couch, "You just rest here, Love, and I'll get you one of my homemade scones."

"That sounds great, Ma'am, thank you." He quickly hugged her again, receiving a pleasant giggle as the embrace was returned.

 

**_~*~End~*~_ **

**Author's Note:**

> Did I mention that "The Thing in Mrs. Faversham's Attic" is my favorite episode?
> 
> Masquerade is a real tomboy Pony from the 80's MLP with a dark past. Sadly, I don't think she got a real plush. But she did have other toys. The bear is based on the new Build-a-Bear Ghostbusters bear. I own one. they're amazing and soft.
> 
> Many of the sections in this were inspired by tdotbabs's adorable Peter art on DA. Seriously, it's so sweet. Go drop her a line.


End file.
